It's Better Now
by MiHnn
Summary: She knew that it was better to have such things kept locked somewhere hidden for the good of their friendship. She was too used to behaving flippantly when the topic came up to change now, anyway.


**A/N - **

Written for Stydia-Fanfics over at Tumblr for the following prompt.

_Months after everything is done and Stiles is ok again, the gang is reunited and the Stiles/Malia hookup is brought up, Lydia is upset and walks out, Stiles goes after her and then…you know, happy ending._

(Justifying the whole Stiles/Malia thing is hard. Forget that, impossible. But, I did my best for the benefit of the story)

* * *

**It's Better Now**

**.**

The idea of watching Stiles Stilinski trying to balance a pile of empty paper cups on his forehead while seated on the McCall couch was more entertaining than Lydia would ever care to admit. Even the image of a certain teenage Alpha precariously placing even more paper cups at a drastically disadvantageous level on top of the already fragile pile could not stop her from seeing the humour in the situation.

She pursed her lips to keep herself from laughing at their antics as she sat down beside the fully-grown child closest to her. "You're doing it wrong."

"What?" he asked, turning to face her, dropping the paper cups with the quick move of his head. Stiles winced as the last cup bounced off his head with a mocking 'pop' before falling to the floor. "Damn."

Scott, however, who had been the instigator of the game Lydia privately called, 'Face-it-Stiles-you-could-never,' to which Stiles usually replied with, 'Dude-I-could-so-totally-always,' laughed out loud, earning a quick punch on his arm from his best friend which probably hurt less than a summer breeze.

"That doesn't count."

"Face it, Dude," Scott said with a laugh. "You're just not that great with balancing things like I am."

Stiles shook his head, his 'fighting face' on. "No, see, _that_ doesn't count. She distracted me!" he said passionately, using a series of supporting gestures that could only mean it was all her fault.

Lydia narrowed her eyes, her tone taking on a no-nonsense quality. "Don't blame me just because you got distracted."

"Yeah," Scott said quickly, coming to her defence as he started towards the kitchen where Kira and Malia were preparing snacks. "You can't use that as a defence. She _always_ distracts you."

Stiles watched Scott disappear with wide eyes before he turned a panicked gaze towards her. He opened his mouth several times, unknown words being formed before he finally choked out, "He meant—"

"I know what he meant," Lydia said curtly with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. It was what she did if anyone came close to mentioning the monstrous crush Stiles once had on her. She knew that it was better to have such things kept locked somewhere hidden for the good of their friendship. She was too used to behaving flippantly when the topic came up to change now, anyway.

"Yeah, no… Yeah, of course you do." He shook his head and shrugged. "I just meant that… He meant that…" He paused, wincing at the inadequacy of his own words as he continued to look at her with wide, panicked eyes. Lydia couldn't help but smile at his speechlessness. She had noticed a long time ago that she was the only person who could make him do that; be speechless. It's something she was secretly proud of.

He was finally saved by the appearance of the three from the kitchen as they held bowls of snacks while they entered.

"So… What are we watching?" Malia asked before she made her way to the couch.

"I'm on it!" Limbs flailing, Stiles jumped out of his seat to grab the remote from the coffee table, stepping back and to the side so that he could sit down on the arm of the couch beside her as Malia and Kira sat down on the couch and Scott took purchase on the other arm of the couch next to Kira.

Lydia gladly accepted a fist full of popcorn when Malia offered her some.

"Comfy?" Stiles asked the group quickly before he played the DVD. "So my Dad told me about this robbery that happened twenty three years ago. There wasn't any proof of a break in. And the only thing the cameras could capture was this weird blur-like image." He raised the remote and fast-forwarded the video on Scott's TV, stopping once he was satisfied with where the DVD had paused.

"Two days ago there was another break in. Almost exactly the same. The only difference is that sixteen seconds into the blurred image, this pops up."

Stiles paused the video of the security tape after running it for a few seconds longer, and just like the others, Lydia leant forward so she could have no doubt as to what she was looking at.

Kira gulped. "Are those…?"

"Antlers?" Lydia asked softly, her voice betraying awe. "Yeah."

Malia looked from one person to the next. "What has antlers?"

"And moves really fast?" Scott asked softly. He squinted at the screen. "Does it look human?"

Stiles shrugged. "I'm not sure." He touched Lydia's arm gently, drawing her attention. "You think you can find anything on this in Argent's bestiary?"

Lydia nodded. "I'll give it a try. It will take a lot longer without an actual word to look for."

"I'm sure you'll find something," he said with a smile, one so sincere that she couldn't help but give her own in response. Stiles restarted the video and turned to face the rest of the party. "So this blurred image keeps popping up a few more times. I was hoping maybe you guys could add on what you see with your supernatural eyes and all that. Who knows? Maybe you can see something that my Dad and I missed."

Arms tightening around a bowl of chips, Kira shifted in her seat, her eyes meeting Scott's before she looked at the rest of the pack. "Is it just me or is Beacon Hills getting weirder?"

"Trust me," Scott said with a sigh. "It's not just you."

Stiles nodded. "Yeah, we started off pretty simple, actually. Werewolves…" He shrugged. "Then _Alpha_ werewolves…"

"Emissaries…" Scott continued. "Druids…"

"Kanimas," added Lydia, shivering at the very memory of that time period in her life she would rather forget.

"Werecoyotes," Malia said with a quick raise of her hand.

"Ooh! Kitsunes!" Kira cried excitedly.

Scott nodded. "Oni."

"Nogitsunes," Stiles said with a heavy breath.

Lydia saw his shoulders sag the way everyone else did. She didn't hesitate to place a comforting hand on his knee, a small smile gracing her face when Stiles placed his own hand on top of hers and smiled back thankfully as his long fingers entwined with her own.

Kira looked between all of them. "Were all those other things as bad as the Nogitsune?"

Lydia shared a look with Stiles and Scott. "You could say that," she said diplomatically.

Malia let out an amused laugh as she met Stiles' gaze. "Were you sent to the nut house every time a new supernatural creature came to town?"

"Trust me," Stiles said sarcastically. "There were times when I thought I was going to be spending my days popping pills for a living."

"Yeah," Kira said with a small giggle as she bent her head and reached for a few chips. "Or having sex."

Lydia's gaze whipped onto the girl as she felt everyone else stiffen around her. "What?"

Kira looked up, eyes widening slightly. "I meant…" Her gaze met Stiles', Malia's and Scott's surprised faces before landing on Lydia, her eyes widening with clear panic before she winced and her eyes found Stiles' again. "Crap! I'm sorry."

Lydia turned towards Stiles. "What—?"

"So, the video," Stiles said quickly, turning his attention back to the TV. "I was thinking that we could…"

He stopped when he found her tightening her fingers around his own in order to draw his attention. "What does she mean?"

"Er..." His jaw dropped as he tried to form words. Giving up on him, Lydia looked to the others, not missing the meaningful looks that Scott, Kira and Malia gave each other. She eyed them all with frustration. "Can someone tell me what she meant?"

Kira was drawing within herself with shame while Scott shrugged with such an expression of ignorance that it fooled no one, most of all her. It was the way Malia looked over Lydia's shoulder at Stiles that drew Lydia's attention the most.

"Well?" she asked the werecoyote sitting beside her.

Malia shrugged, gesturing at Stiles flippantly. "Um… We kind of…"

Lydia tried to ignore the way Stiles' fingers were tightening around hers as Malia threw an apologetic look towards Stiles.

"We hooked up."

Lydia blinked, very much aware that everyone was staying ridiculously still and waiting for her reaction. "You and Stiles…?"

"Slept together when we were at Eichen House," Malia said helpfully, watching her with a serious expression. "Yeah."

"Oh." Lydia's eyes widened, the words still not processing fast enough for her to grasp it's meaning. She shook her head and smiled. "That's it?" she asked with a laugh. "That's what this big secret was about? You guys treat me like I'm such a prude, sometimes. Just because I haven't been seeing anyone in a while? You guys are ridiculous!" She let out a low chuckle, completely ignoring the way the others looked at each other as if they were worried for her sanity.

She shifted in her seat so she could sit back, cross her legs and gesture towards the TV. "Are we going to watch this security video or what?"

Clearing his throat, Stiles raised the remote and went back to the beginning of the DVD. "Er… Yeah. This part, the image is not _as_ clear, but there's something with the sound…"

She tried to ignore the look of disappointment on his face when she pulled her hand away from his.

* * *

An hour later with three empty bowls of snacks between them and a silent tension between herself and Stiles, Lydia couldn't help but shift in her seat to stifle the urge to leave as Scott spoke.

"So, we're looking for something that is bigger than the average human, that makes a sound similar to that of a wolf—"

"Or a bear," Stiles added.

"And prefers walking on four legs."

Malia nodded. "With the strength to tear into metal."

"But, intelligent," Stiles said. "He's able to make rational decisions."

"Sounds scary," Kira mumbled with a wince, earning a sweet smile from Scott.

Deciding that it was the perfect time to leave, Lydia stood up with as much grace as she could muster. "Okay, then. Since we're done, I'll go see what I can find."

Scott watched her as she picked up her handbag, his expression worried. "You're not staying for dinner?"

"I can't. Sorry. I completely forgot that my Mom wanted me home. But, you guys have fun. Don't solve any murders without me." She internally winced before she waved at them all, her eyes staying resolutely away from one particular person before she moved as fast as she could.

The minute she stepped out of the house, her shoes hitting the pavement, she felt able to breathe easy once again. It didn't occur to her until this very moment how uncomfortable she had been sitting in Scott's house for that past hour.

"Lydia? _Lydia_!"

Lydia groaned silently to herself before turning around quickly. "_What_?" She winced at the way she snapped at him, and his hurt expression didn't make her feel any better.

Stiles stood awkwardly in front of her. Weight shifting from one foot to the other, he took a deep breath and gestured between them. "Are we good?"

"Of course!" She replied quickly. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"I don't know… You just seemed upset and…"

"I'm fine," she said in such a harsh tone that she knew didn't fooled him. "Go back inside, Stiles."

She waited for his nod before turning around again, only to stop abruptly when she heard him that much closer than before.

"The thing is, I don't think you're that okay."

She gritted her teeth and tried to calm her quickening pulse. "Go back inside, Stiles."

"Lydia—"

"Go back inside!" she snapped, turning to face him.

He stared at her, clearly surprised, before his expression morphed into one of determination. "Why are you mad at me?"

"I'm not mad at you," she said too soon, her tone still too harsh to curb.

He narrowed his gaze at her, his expression disbelieving. "Clearly."

Shaking her head, she stepped forward, her hands forming into fists to give her some semblance of control. "Just go inside, alright? We'll talk later."

It looked like he wanted to say more, and part of her hoped that he would, but with a quick nod of his head, he stepped back, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Yeah. Okay. Drive safe."

Lydia nodded, unable to say any words. She turned around and started towards her car, her heels hitting the ground too hard and her hands fisting in her skirt in such a way that she knew she would need some intense, violent actions like kickboxing to get rid of this irrational anger coiling inside of her. She was also acutely aware of the fact that Stiles hadn't moved an inch from where she had left him.

It was all too much. She hardly noticed that she had turned around and started matching right back towards him.

"Malia?" she asked snidely, the moment she reached him. "_Really_?"

His lips parted to defend himself, but she spoke over him.

"You know, you were the one person, besides Scott, who I _never_ thought would be so stupid! Eichen House? Really? She was mentally eight at that time." His eyes widened, giving her a sense of satisfaction that she didn't know she needed. "How could you be so sleazy? Taking advantage of a girl like that? It's disgusting."

"Wait! What? No!" His arms flailing, Stiles stepped forward, his expression completely panicked. "It wasn't like that."

Lydia crossed her arms and stared back at him, unimpressed. "Then, what was it like? You slept with her knowing that she was a coyote for eight years since she was a _child_! I can't even…" She shook her head. "You know what? It's your life. Do whatever you want."

She turned around, intent on leaving, only to halt when Stiles practically jumped in front of her to keep her there. "It wasn't like that," he said in a tone that betrayed desperation. "It was mutual… It wasn't… I would _never_…" He shook his head, his chest heaving as if it was an effort to keep calm. "The fact that you think that I would ever do something like that…"

Lydia felt her resolve weaken when his gaze met hers. He stepped closer, and she let him, tilting her head up to keep her eyes on his.

"Do you really think I'd ever do something like that?"

Lydia faltered, not only because of how sincere he sounded and the way his voice had cracked, but because she _knew_ he wouldn't. It was blind faith that very few people had ever managed to instil in her.

She felt her eyes tear up even though she wasn't supposed to be this emotional anymore _damnit_. "Then, why Malia?" she found herself asking him, watching him carefully as he seemed speechless for a second before his shoulders slumped and he ducked his head. Somehow, the fact that he didn't have an answer hurt her more. "Yeah… I'm gonna go now."

Blinking rapidly to keep the tears at bay, because seriously, she didn't understand why she felt the need to run home and watch The Notebook five times in a row, she started walking around him.

She heard him grunt in frustration before he turned swiftly and drew her attention. "I thought I was gonna die."

Lydia's eyes widened as she watched the way he stood nervously, shoulders shaking, arms flailing, and she knew that he found the words harder to say than most. "I, um…" He cleared his throat, shrugging as if this was going to be all or nothing. "I thought I had what my Mom had. I, er, _thought_ that I would forget everyone around me. You, Scott, my Dad," he said, his voice breaking. "I thought I would make their lives hell and ruin it, make them resent me or something." He took a deep breath, his shoulder slumping.

"I thought I was gonna die. I thought I was _literally_ going to die. And there was this beautiful girl. She liked me; she kissed me. And I just… I kissed her back. And when she wanted more, I just…" He let out a low breath. "I don't know if you've noticed but I don't really have a row of girls interested in me. I'm not exactly Mr Popular, Mr On-Top-of-the-Food-Chain, the most eligible bachelor in town. If a girl kisses me, great! If she wants _me_, boring ol' Stiles, sidekick to the never-ending supernatural freakishness that is Beacon Hills…" He shrugged, unable to say the words.

"If she hadn't been okay with it, if she hadn't wanted me like that, I wouldn't have. If there had been a _chance_ that she was not sure, that she was…" He dropped his arms, his shoulders slumping. "I know what it looks like, the two of us in an insane asylum, but it wasn't like that. Although, now that I'm saying it out loud, I can't really explain _why_ it wasn't like how you thought it was."

She _knew_ that his lack of self-confidence was because of her, because how could it not be after she had rejected him time and again? But, things had changed, things were different now. He shouldn't be like this anymore. "Stiles—"

"Why do you care anyway?"

Her eyes snapped up to meet his, and she didn't miss the wide, hopeful look he threw her. "I don't."

"Yeah," he said casually, his tone clearly disbelieving. "Why would you? It's not like we're together or anything."

Her eyes widened as she gaped at him. "We are _not_ together."

"Sure," he said sarcastically stepping closer to her. "It's not like you hold my hand whenever we're in public…"

"Wait. That's not—"

He stepped even closer. "It's not like you spend every Saturday morning at my place making breakfast for me and my Dad."

"I—"

"When was the last time you spent the night at my place? Oh, yeah, last night."

He was standing too close. "That was innocent—"

"Yeah. Innocent. Just like the way you _always_ manage to innocently find the seat between me and any other girl in school."

Lydia scoffed, her pulse racing with panic. "You are delusional."

"Maybe," he said seriously, sincerity dancing behind his darkened eyes. "Not as much as you."

He reached for her and she panicked, taking a step away from him. "What are you doing?"

Undeterred, Stiles took that step towards her, his chest lightly brushing against hers as he gently raised his hands towards her face. "Just trying something, alright?" She watched him, breath hitched as he tilted her head up towards him and his fingers caressed her jaw before he buried them in her hair at the nape of her neck. She shivered at his touch, and saw the way his eyes widened slightly as he noticed that change in her.

"Stiles…"

He shushed her softly, leaning towards her so slowly that her eyes automatically shut as she took in a shuddering breath. What she had expected to happen didn't happen. Instead, she felt his warm breath bouncing off her lips as he placed his forehead against hers, his nose bumping her cheek in a way that made her hands grab onto his shirt without thought.

"Lydia…" He said her name so softly, so reverently; it was as if he was in pain.

She was the one who moved, her fingers tightening on his shirt and her lips searching for his blindly. His breath hitched the moment she pulled her lips against his, his mouth parting over hers and sharing her warm breath in a way that made an electric shiver run through the length of her body.

She found herself arching into him, the kiss deepening as one of his hands tangled in her hair and the other ran the length of her back to bring her impossibly closer. She kissed him the way he kissed her, and it was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. The need to be primal, to take ownership and be owned, she pulled him closer, giving all that she could without a single thought racing through her head but _more, more, more._

They parted breathlessly as his lips attacked her throat with warm, open-mouthed kisses, her chest heaving like his as his arms held her in a vice-like grip. She wasn't thinking clearly. She _had_ to think clearly. Burying her fingers into his hair, she yanked him back, seeing the way his eyes had glazed over with desire for her.

He had an expression of awe on his face, and she didn't stop him when she felt his hand trace her cheek so he could bend down and place a warm kiss where his hand had been while his fingers kept her to him by gently holding the side of her throat. It was as if he was branding her with his touch alone, and Lydia felt her eyelids droop as his touch burned her with a fire she wanted to be consumed by.

She felt him exhale against her before he pulled back. "We're not nothing," he said shakily, his lips plump from her attentions and his voice raspy.

Lydia's own lips parted, unsure of what to say, which didn't really matter because a sudden sound of something crashing to the floor caused them both to look up at the nearest window where the curtain was suddenly let go and it fell back to where it was supposed to be.

"So, I guess this is not private," Stiles said with a nervous chuckle as he let her go.

She wanted to protest, but she wasn't sure if she could. But, seeing him step back, she found herself reaching out and pulling him back to her so she could kiss the surprised expression off his face. They parted too soon for her liking, but the words were more important, so she said them back while keeping him to her. "We're not nothing."

He nodded, a small smile playing on his lips that she knew matched hers.

"Hey! Lydia!" Scott called from his front door, a ridiculously happy grin on his face as they stepped away from each other somewhat awkwardly. "Maybe Stiles could drop you home."

She shared a surprised look with Stiles as they turned towards his jeep and her car parked close together. "Uh, yeah," she found herself saying, surprising Stiles. "I could always pick up my car from your place tomorrow."

Stiles' grin was blinding as he practically bounced on his heels happily. "Yeah. I can do that. Drop you, I mean. It's not a problem. I mean I know technically it would cause _you_ a problem because you'll have to come back and get your car and…"

He stopped when she took his hand in hers with a roll of her eyes, his eyes widening as he swallowed the rest of his words while he stared at their entwined fingers between them.

"C'mon." She pulled him after her gently, watching the way he looked over his shoulder at Scott with panicked eyes before he fixed her with a look so intense she felt an ache in her lower belly. She didn't realise she had bitten her lower lip until his eyes darkened slightly.

Suddenly, the idea of him taking her home without any need to pull the jeep over and attack him with her hands and mouth seemed too farfetched to happen.

Turning her back to a cheekily grinning Scott, and no doubt a spying Kira and Malia, she dragged a very nervous Stiles after her.

She'd rather do this next bit in private.


End file.
